By Emily Erdeljac
Many claim the term Young Adult Literature (YA) did not exist pre S.E Hinton’s The Outsiders in 1967. Hinton herself recalls that when she published her debut novel, “there was no young-adult market”. However since then The Outsiders has gone on to sell over ten million copies, and Young Adult Literature has now earned its’ place on bookstore shelves across the world. Two years before The Outsiders made its’ mark, Anne Holm released I am David “one of the most important children’s books written since the Second World War.” Although closely missing the alleged beginning of the YA era, I am David encompasses the characteristics of YA and its’ focus on the term ‘coming of age’ and finding the answers to the questions “who am I and what am I going to do about it?”
Before I explain why I am David fits epitomizes YA, the term Young Adult needs explanation. According to Denise Beckton (2015) “Young Adult’ as a contemporary term used to define a market, an audience and a developmental category, is a construct rather than a stable term that neatly defines an age bracket.” In distinguishing YA from children’s literature it must be noted that YA makes us think and learn about ourselves in relation to the social forces and levels of power that exist in the myriad of social institutions in which they must function eg. School, family, government and social constructions. Or in this case how a young boy who knows nothing about life beyond the walls of a concentration camp finds himself once thrown into the outside world.
I am David, originally a Danish novel tells the story of David, a 12 year old boy who’s known nothing but the inside walls of a concentration camp since he can remember, who one day gets the opportunity to escape to a new life thanks to the kindness of a commandant known only to the reader and David as “the man”. “The man” explains there is safety in Denmark and that is where he must go, so he does. Eurodrama describes the novel as a “hymn to the plight of refugee children”. “Credited with introducing generations of children to the horrors of concentration camps and plight of refugees. I Am David uses the format of an adventure story to teach children about the forgotten victims of conflict.” Whereas Layreaders Book Reviews says “David’s journey, from beginning to end, is a manifestation and/or enacting of his desire to be free from anything that keeps him from being everything he is, everything he can be, and everything he wants to be.”
The novel is narrated using the third person and past tense, focalizing on the events and situations from the perspective of the protagonist, David. This means that the actions, feelings, and events of other characters are experienced by the reader through the lens of an adolescent boy. We see everything how David would see them and react to them. This is important to note as the intended reader would also be an adolescent and this choice by Holm to position us this way connects and engages the reader deeply in David’s experience. Yak Books says “Anne Holm uses him as a blank canvas on which can be drawn the first experiences of life – beauty, knowledge, trust, religion, love, everything” which is adherent to experiences of young adults connecting the reader further.
Presumably set during World War II Holm creates an ambiguous time and place through the eyes of a young boy with no reference to who he is or where he is from, however points to the presence of totalitarian regimes, complex political landscapes and paranoid forces on eliminating personal freedoms. The novel tells of David’s journey to safety through his innocent yet traumatized eyes as he travels through Europe to freedom. During his twin journey to safety and self-discovery David must face new and challenging situations that test his morals and motivation to survive in a foreign and dangerous place. The idea of displacement or a journey is a notable characteristic of YA as explained by Beckton (2015). “A recurrent element in children’s literature is the protagonist’s physical dislocation, transportation to a new, unknown territory, which allows the freedom to explore the world without adult supervision.” Among other themes in the novel, the journey he takes is also thematic in nature, representing the progress of David’s identity.
Another prominent theme is clearly that of identity. The title itself is reminiscent of all David knows- he is David and that is all. During David’s journey he meets an artist, Sophie who insists on painting his portrait. He notices an immediate connection to a portrait of another woman Sophie had painted. She tells him that woman had also escaped a concentration camp thanks to a kind commandant and found her way to Denmark after hearing her child had been killed in the same camp, which is when David realizes this woman may be his estranged mother. There is strong symbolism of identity present in these portraits, especially that of David. Through this, Holm shows that David’s sense of identity and family is beyond his conscious knowledge, it is in him. Even though he should have no way of recognizing his mother’s face, he feels this connection to her image from the first time he sees her portrait. This struggle with identity although positioned to be somewhat out of reach to a 21st century adolescent it is reminiscent of similar identity issues young adults go through during this time in their life.
YA often explores the idea of binary oppositions. In I Am David explores that of good vs evil and power vs powerlessness. Holm writes, “And it was most important to do what one knew was right, for otherwise the day might come when one could no longer tell the difference between right and wrong. Throughout the novel, David refers to the men in charge as “them”. Through the lens of a young boy this personifies evil and fear. However one commandant only referred to as “the man” cares for David and gives him food throughout his time in the camp and one day helps him escape. Despite his kindness, Holm chose to keep this character anonymous, similar to “them” to signify the power balance between them and David. “David had known him all his life, but he never spoke to him more than was barely necessary to answer his questions; and though he had known his name for as long as he could remember, he never said anything but ‘the man’ … giving him a name would be like admitting that he knew him; it would place him on an equal footing with the others.” (Holm, 1965)
Rebecca Long (2015) comments on the construction of identity and power found commonly in YA through I am David with its pursuit of happiness. “The children struggle to assert their agency and independence in a world dominated by adults who are, to all intents and purposes, seeking to destroy it. The pursuit of happiness in the context of war is linked to the restoration of the family unit and the preservation of a childhood which memorializes the experience of happiness. David’s is a journey into recovery, a movement away from the traumatic experience of the prison camp that was once his home and towards the possibility of happiness.”
Holm’s discourse is finalized with the closure of the novel. According to Goldstone and Labbo (2004) this, and the other narrative codes and structural elements mentioned are utilized by authors in an attempt to gain control over their story and guide readers to draw specific knowledge, insights and themes from the story. Nikolajeva (2003) says, “In contemporary novels for children, we notice a deviation from the obligatory happy ending, on a structural as well as a psychological level. Instead of closure, implying rounding off the plot, a happy reunion of the protagonist and his or her object of quest, or the victory over the antagonist, we see a new opening, aperture.” I am David closes in a similar manner to how it begins; with an affirmation that he is David, that he is a child who has a right to be free and happy. The ambiguous ending is synonymous with this idea of a realistic ending and leaves the reader without the typical ‘happily ever after’. The ending is when he begins the process of living, the movement towards eventual happiness that we all strive for in life.
Bexton, D (2015) Bestselling Young Adult Fiction: trends, genres and readership, Why YA? Researching, writing and publishing Young Adult fiction in Australia 1-18
Goldstone, B. P and Labbo, L. (2004) ‘The Post Modern Picture Book: A New Subgenre, Language Arts 81: 196-204.
Long, R (2015) Children in War: The pursuit of happiness in three children’s books https://www.readingsjournal.net/2015/04/children-in-war-the-pursuit-of-happiness-in-three-childrens-books/
Nikolajeva, M. (2003). Beyond the Grammar of Story, or How Can Children’s Literature Criticism Benefit from Narrative Theory? Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 28(1), 5-16. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Book Review: I Am David by Anne Holm (Trans by L.W. Kingsland)
I am David by Anne Holm.
YA Anonymous 